Boris Johnson has been accused by Keir Starmer of being a “coward, not a leader” over his conduct in the Tory sleaze scandal .
In a Prime Minister’s Questions - which resembled the sound and fury of the pre-pandemic Commons - the PM was baited, cornered and skewered by the Labour leader and the SNP’s Ian Blackford.
Starmer landed blow after blow on Johnson who has struggled to get out of the mire of sleaze since he tried to change the rules to avoid his friend Owen Paterson being suspended two weeks ago.
In his most passionate Commons performance yet, the normally cautious Starmer threw away the rule book as he accused Johnson of being “a coward not a leader”.
Calling on the Prime Minister to apologise for the mess he had created, Starmer said: “Will he do the decent thing and just say sorry for trying to give the green light to corruption?”
But Starmer was asked to withdraw the unparliamentary “coward” remark later when Tory MP Michael Fabricant objected.
The Labour leader - who knew he had committed a professional foul - said: “I withdraw it. But he’s no leader.”
Johnson looked caged and battered in a Commons chamber he has grown used to commanding.
The Prime Minister was hobbled by a sore throat and exposed by massive gaps on the benches behind him as Tory MPs expressed their disgust with his blunders by staying away from what is usually a packed event.
Starmer, in his concluding remarks, said: “Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money handed to their mates and donors, Tory MPs getting rich working as lobbyists – one not even bothering to turn up because he’s in the Caribbean advising tax havens – and the Prime Minister somehow expects us to believe he’s the man to clean up Westminster.”
He said: “He led his troops through the sewers to cover up corruption and he can’t even say sorry. The truth is that beneath the bluster he still thinks it’s one rule for him and another for his mates.”
The Prime Minister also fell foul of an angry Speaker after he tried to turn the tables on Starmer’s own private work while he was an MP.
Lindsay Hoyle reminded the Prime Minister he was there to answer questions not ask them.
Hoyle, in a clear reference to the Paterson affair, said: “Whether we like it or not those are the rules of the game that we’re all into and we play by the rules, don’t we? And we respect this House, so let’s respect the House.”
After Johnson attempted to ask again about Starmer's outside work, the Speaker rose in fury.
He said: “Prime Minister, sit down. I’m not going to be challenged, you may be the Prime Minister of this country but in this House I’m in charge.”
When Johnson had another go at Starmer over his own “mishconduct”, a reference to Starmer having worked for Mischon de Reya while he was an MP, the Speaker reprimanded him again.
MPs are not meant to accuse each other of "misconduct", which is the rowdy atmosphere is what the Speaker heard.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford came in on Johnson with a second wave of attacks.
Pointing at some empty seats on the benches behind the Prime Minister, Blackford said: “It used to always be said that the Tory MPs were behind the Prime Minister but my goodness look at the gaps. The rebellion has clearly started.”
Blackford asked if it was a coincidence that every former Tory treasurer in recent years has been given a peerage. “Can he see that is corruption, as everyone else in the country can?”
Blackford added: “The Prime Minister and his Government have been up to the neck in sleaze. Can the Prime Minister tell us exactly which one of these scandals his proposals would have stopped?”
Johnson stretched for the insults as he replied: “I thank him, the humble crofter, as he refers to himself, for his question. I would just say what I think we can do is pursue a cross-party approach based on the report of the Independent Committee on Standards in Public Life.
“It says amongst other things it’s important that this House should be augmented with outside experience of the world, it’s important that members of this House should have experience of the private sector as he does.”
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